Vol. 11(13), pp. 157-167, 16 July, 2016 DOI: 10.5897/IJPS2016.4482 Article Number: 850997559614 International Journal of Physical ISSN 1992 - 1950 Copyright ©2016 Sciences Author(s) retain the copyright of this article http://www.academicjournals.org/IJPS Full Length Research Paper Development of an identity management system for a web proxy server in a tertiary institution using anonymity technology Fashoto Stephen Gbenga1*, Adekoya Adekunle2, Owolabi Olumide3, Ogunleye Opeyemi2, Adediran Saseyi2 and Tomori Rasheed4 1Department of Computer Science, Kampala International University, Kampala, Uganda. 2Department of Computer Science, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria. 3Department of Computer Science, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria. 4Department of Computer Science, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. Received 2 March, 2016; Accepted 4 July, 2016 The inability of a region to access a webpage, because of the ban being placed on users from that region as a result of its location policy, has led to this study. This problem is often solved by anonymizing web traffic by using The Onion Router (TOR). These tools, however, suffer from the problem of exposure of identity and also lack the ability to monitor web users. This study describes in detail a web proxy server service solution within the context of a tertiary institution in Nigeria and explains how this service improves the user experience. An identity management system using a web proxy server was developed to tackle these problems. The new system proxy was designed using a transparent proxy model with some additional translational features where no modification was done to the response or request of resources, other than the addition of its identification information or that of the server from which the message was recovered, and mediation of resources. Redeemer’s University proxy was used as a case study in this research work. This system is also able to effectively monitor users’ (staffs and students) operations on the web. Key words: Web proxy, web anonymity, identity management, The Onion Router (TOR). INTRODUCTION Anonymizers allow internet users to surf the web offered by profit-making organization propelled by anonymously. They also enable internet users maintain a subscription fees, non-profit making organizations certain amount of privacy which deter gathering of known benefitting through marketing, and home-brewed services information like internet protocol (IP) address when through open source anonymous tools. Examples of browsing (Li et al., 2011). These anonymity services are Community contributed systems are the onion router *Corresponding author E-mail. [email protected]. Author(s) agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License 158 Int. J. Phys. Sci. (TOR) (Dingledine et al., 2004), the Invisible Internet of users using a network led us to formulate this study. Project (I2P) and the Java Anon Proxy (JAP) (Berthold et For example, a user trying to access a website which has al., 2001). Proxy servers are deployed to keep clients barred users from certain locations from gaining access anonymous, to obstruct unnecessary content on a and permission to its webpage as a result of its privacy network, to save network bandwidth by supplying policies would be unable to access the services offered generally accessed data to clients, and to log and audit by the site. In addition, the possibility of monitoring the client usage (Squid-Cache Wiki, 2014). There are four activities of users on a network without a monitoring main types of proxy servers used to gain a degree of system can overwhelm and limit the usage and anonymity. They are Transparent proxy, Anonymous effectiveness of the network. proxy, Distorting proxy and High Anonymity proxy. An identity management system refers to a set of technologies or an information system that is used for 1) Transparent Proxy: It is a form of proxy server that project or cross-network identity management. It involves enables the primary IP address to be accessible via the the organization of an individual entity’s identity, http headers. It is often used due to its capability to cache authorization and authenticating, and also privileges websites by providing anonymity for its users. contained in or across system boundaries with the Transparent Proxy is known for its transparency because purpose of escalating security and output while the lP address is visible to everyone. However, it could diminishing cost, downtime, and monotonous tasks also be tagged non transparent because its users may (Wikipedia, 2014). This identity management system not be aware that they are using it. would be useful to users from states that are being barred from accessing some web pages in other regions 2) Anonymous proxy: Anonymous proxy associates that does not recognize that particular state in context. itself with a proxy server. It does not make its primary lP The introduction of a web proxy in the system for the address visible. Though, this kind of proxy server is case of the web will help user agents anonymize their detectable, but provides a kind of security to most of its identity. Proxy servers are systems positioned to act as users. an intermediary for clients seeking resources from other servers or clients to connect to the World Wide Web. This 3) Distorting proxy: This is another form of proxy server research work intends to design and develop an identity that allows a wrong lP address obtainable through the management system using web proxy. From previous http headers. research work done in this area, several systems have been developed using diverse models. Over the past 4) High anonymity proxy: Lastly, this type of proxy years, researches have been conducted in the area of server does not in any way relate to proxy server. It does web proxy such as the performance analysis and not make its original IP address available. In this study optimization of web proxy servers and mirror sites by we consider the anonymous proxy. Gautam, et al. (2013) (Improving Performance on WWW using Intelligent Predictive Caching for Web Proxy In the context of TOR, anonymity means preventing the Servers) which is being integrated into different identity dissemination of a user's internet protocol address. The management systems as a method for tracking visits to a anonymity set is an assemblage of the sender (source), web page and anonymization of clients. For instance, receivers (destinations) and the servers in a when a web request is relayed through the identity communication network. Anonymity creates two types of system proxy to a server, the server or website sees the users: unidentified users and unlinkable users. proxy as the requesting client. More so, when the server Unidentified users are those who post messages without or website tries to identify the name and location of the their real name or agent name while unlinkable users are user from which it received a request, it finds the proxy those who post messages without their real name being instead of the client behind the proxy. In 2009, Jelenkovic linked to their account or agent. Anonymity technologies and Radovanovic reported that web caching improves the can be used for legal and illegal purposes. Examples of web performance by storing web objects close to clients, anonymity for legal purposes are privacy, freedom of which reduces the latency of delivering web objects to the speech, anti-censorship, and so on, while protection to end-user (Jelenkovic and Radovanovic, 2009). In criminals in facilitating online crimes such as spam, addition, it makes the most of the bandwidth of the piracy, identity theft, prevention of web filters from network which is considered as an important goal for monitoring, exposing organization to malicious activities network administrators and it also reduces the load on and finally abusing organization resources such as the the origin servers. An additional tool can be used in use of YouTube are examples of anonymity for illegal attaining anonymization of clients in the protection of purposes. details about the request originator from the target server The inability of a region to access a webpage because which makes such a disguise required in situations, of the ban being placed on users from that region as a particularly in the case of web browsing since web traffic result of its location policy and, also, the effective tracking anonymization is not part of the http specification (Sochor, Fashoto et al. 159 2013). hierarchically (Mahanti et al., 2000). A web proxy’s role in It has been observed that students and some staff of information hiding and encapsulation is described in Redeemers University of Nigeria (RUN) have been facing Shapiro (1986). Web proxies were also originally some of these drawbacks in terms of gaining scholarly designed to allow network administrators control internet materials from regions that has not recognized or banned access from within the intranet (Baentsch et al., 1997). them for obtaining their services and also, the system On the other hand, resulting inquiries about proxies show was used to monitor users (staff and students) operations that they serves as intermediaries for commonly effectively on the web. This study developed identity requested documents. Thus, web proxies, which started management system using web proxy server to tackle as a gateway server, have now become a vital part of these problems. web user’s experience on the Web. This study was based on utilizing some set of data to assist users in gaining access and also network administrators in tracking the operations of users on the Web anonymity network. The aim was to develop a robust system that satisfies both students and staff of RUN in all aspects of A web proxy can be defined as an application program gaining scholarly materials from all parts of the Web with that accepts the retrieval of documents from some the effective tracking of user operations on the web by clients, and relay these requests to the suitable servers (if the use of a proxy.